Alliance between PDP, BJP initiated new conversations like never before: Nirmal

TNN Bureau. Updated: 12/30/2017 11:22:17 AM

Jammu, Dec 29: Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Chief Minister, Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had taken a historical decision by bringing BJP and PDP on one platform for formation of coalition government in state like Jammu and Kashmir, this huge step has also not changed much dimensions for ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) as the saffron party will go to people in the next elections with the both development and Article 370 agendas.

Talking during The News Now’s Round Table conference, BJP’s main face in the Jammu and Kashmir Government and Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh said that however following Prime Minister, Modi’s mantra of development, the BJP-PDP alliance government is moving on with development angle and continuing as a unit according to the Agenda of Alliance. But when comes to the election or vote bank politics, BJP will never ignore its basic and hardcore issue of Article 370 in J&K.

Dr Singh said that it is an issue which will also be part of campaign in next elections in 2019 and 2020. He added that people are concerned about small things like construction of lanes and drains, but concerning issue is bigger and that is abrogation of Article 370.

“This is our core issue and we still think that Article 370 has given more damage to the state and is the root cause of separatism and militancy in the state,” said Dr Nirmal Singh, and added that Article 370 is the main hindrance in many things and decisions.

At a time when BJP-PDP coalition government has completed almost three years of the formation of alliance and now left with another three years tenure to go to the people for elections, the Deputy CM also said that they have done many developmental projects, which they will claim when go to polls. Similarly, he added that PDP too claims the same in their constituency and then see how people serve them with the next mandate.

Talking about the word ‘discrimination with Jammu’, which was the BJP’s slogan for decades, Dr Singh, who also led many agitations on the issues in the past, said, “It takes few more years to decrease the level of discrimination with Jammu. Three years is not enough, so we have to wait, but are working on these lines.”

Reacting on the present example of discrimination with Jammu, where Jammu region gets only 14 percent share for recruitment of Government Teachers and Kashmir gets 86 percent, whereas Ladakh has not get any single post, the Deputy CM cleared, “This notification is based on district level posts. I have checked with the concerned officials and soon you will see the notification for remaining six districts of Jammu regions will also publish.”

Singh also welcomes the blanket ban on the Government Employees for social media commenting, he said that it will not go like this as government employees has to react inside the department but not openly on the work of government. Whereas public and especially media is free to comment and ask anything on social media.

Meanwhile, Deputy CM confirmed that a committee has been set up under the guidance of Director Information to work on the modalities of social media and soon social media cells of CM, Deputy CM and Chief Secretary will be set up.